We all are part of this cosmos. We are made of stardust. And that’s not a romantic imagination, nor chicken soup for the soul. There is hard science behind it, physics to be more precise.
So in our own way, we all are little stars and we shine in our own light. Some of us shine brighter, some others radiate better. But we do, what is characteristic to us. And it is important that we do shine our own best. And if in your shine and light, someone can mend their torn shoe, fix their broken tools, read a poem, write a love letter or sew some torn clothes and wounds ¬ - You are validated a star.
So never stop inspiring. Never stop shining.
But this shine hurts those, who have got used to living in the dark. It hurts their eyes, to see you shine so bright. It becomes unbearable to them and they want you doused. Let’s also be real, and know that black-holes are made of stardust too. If you wander anywhere closer to a black-hole, and fall in their gravitational field, they will pull you hard and consume you. And after that you will have no shine left, your identity is lost.
I don’t talk much about my pedigree, but in this context I will. I take pride in my great grandparents, who have rejected the notion of caste 3 generations ago, and directed themselves towards education and social reforms. Today, my family is inclusive of many castes, regions, religions and nationalities too. Marriages in my family are not ‘inter-caste marriages’, but just marriages.
I once happened to mention it in a circle of friends during a conversation. And one of them called me a name – a word considered derogatory in Telugu, generally used for animals. I wanted to slap him across his face, for insulting me and my fore-parents.
But I did not. I stood back and watched him.
I once happened to mention it in a circle of friends during a conversation. And one of them called me a name – a word considered derogatory in Telugu, generally used for animals. I wanted to slap him across his face, for insulting me and my fore-parents.
But I did not. I stood back and watched him.
This is a guy who has no attributes or achievements to himself. His only claim to any ‘identity’ or in his opinion ‘superiority’ was his caste. And I was there shining bright, in my own light telling him clearly that I reject the idea of caste, his only identity. Of course, he couldn’t take it and chose to attack or insult me.
Of course I wanted to slap him. But I did not, because this guy is acting out of insecurity. And no one becomes a HERO, by slapping the insecure.
So, I move away. That day through restraint, I realized my power. And decided to keep shining in my own light, in my own bright, and to my best.
So, I move away. That day through restraint, I realized my power. And decided to keep shining in my own light, in my own bright, and to my best.
And we all must shine our best.
For, we all are stardust.